I UJ Brownfields 2007 Grant Fact Sheet Cincinnati, OH EPA Brownfields Program EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu- nities, and other stakeholders in economic development to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. Abrownfield site is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. On January 11, 2002, President George W. Bush signed into law the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act. Under the Brownfields Law, EPA provides financial assistance to eligible applicants through four competitive grant programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants. The brownfields job training grants provide residents of communities impacted by brownfields with the skills and training needed to effectively gain employment in assessment and cleanup activities associated with brownfield redevelopment and environmental remediation. Additionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response programs through a separate mechanism. Community Description The City of Cincinnati was selected to receive a job training grant. Cincinnati (population 308,728), a port city on the Ohio River, and Hamilton County (popula- tion 806,652) will be served by this grant. In the past Job Training Grant $171,250 EPA has selected the City of Cincinnati for a job training grant. Cincinnati plans to train 60 stu- dents, place 45 graduates in environmental careers, and track students for one year. The training program, which will provide 246 hours of instruction and hands-on training, includes HAZWOPER, lead and asbestos abatement certification classes, and courses on OSHA construction outreach, mold remediation, and brownfields advanced technologies training. Cincinnati USA Super Jobs and several commu- nity agencies will recruit students from brownfields-affected areas of the city and county. Primary trainers will be the International Chemi- cal Workers Union Council's Center for Worker Health and Safety Education and the University of Cincinnati. With assistance from the local Port Authority, the applicant will work with its existing network of potential employers to place graduates in environmental jobs. Contacts For further information, including specific grant contacts, additional grant information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: www.epa.gov/ brownfields. EPA Region 5 Brownfields Team 312-886-4747 http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields/ Grant Recipient: City of Cincinnati, OH 513-352-1947 The cooperative agreement for this grant has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. five decades, Cincinnati's population has declined by more than 35 percent, due in part to an outward Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA 560-F-06-257 November 2006 www.epa.gov/brownfields ------- migration of residents seeking employment in the suburbs or other metropolitan areas. This population loss and the associated decline in local industry have left the city and county with numerous abandoned or underused properties. These brownfields continue to plague the low-income, ethnic minority, or otherwise marginalized communities in Cincinnati and Hamilton County. Nine of Cincinnati's communities have been designated as federal Empowerment Zones, and the city's poverty and unemployment rates are 25 percent and 6 percent, respectively. Several large redevelop- ment projects have increased the need for trained environmental technicians. In a recent survey of local environmental employers, the vast majority of respon- dents indicated a strong need for skilled environmental workers. ------- |